Tornado damages homes, kills 1 in eastern China farm region

BEIJING (AP) — A tornado blew through 11 villages in a farming region of eastern China, damaging homes, killing at least one person and injuring 25 others. The homes and property of more than 2,000 people were damaged when the twister struck Wednesday in a province south of Beijing. Media reported the estimated cost of damage was more than $9.6 million. Tornadoes are relatively rare in China, though its worst in recent decades killed 98 people in 2016. China has seen record high temperatures and unusually heavy rainfall this year. Climate change is considered a factor in both the warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall, as well as more frequent extreme weather.